Category: Family Camping
Make Ahead Meals for the Camper
April 18, 2012 by Melissa A. Trainer · 10 Comments
When you camp or travel in your RV or with your travel trailer, do you ever prepare foods in advance at home and then cart them along with you? I have done this many many times. Of course, this involves extra work at home but the dividends pay off when you are traveling and visiting a new destination. I have found it to be deliciously helpful to have my travel trailer freezer stocked with twice-baked potatoes, meatballs, previously grilled and sliced chicken breasts, butter chicken, chicken biryani, taco meat, and even homemade burritos! Without a doubt, that extra effort at home saves me time and brain cells when I am on vacation. Afterall, who really wants to be bothered planning a meal from scratch when you are visiting a fabulous national park or a beautiful beach? And, for that matter, who really wants to endure a mediocre meal at an overpriced tourist trap restaurant after a beautiful day of touring or hiking? (I’ve learned through experience that bad meals at overpriced touristy... [Read more...]
Boston Children’s Museum
April 18, 2012 by Canadianladybug · Leave a Comment
Another great place to visit while camping around Boston, MA is definitively the Boston Children’s Museum and let your little ones go crazy around the three floors of this museum. I remember going on a trip to Boston with a friend while being in University. We had visited the Computer Museum, which is now closed, at that same place where now stand the Boston Children’s Museum. We visited this museum twice so far and each time we had a marvelous time with our kids. The Boston Children’s Museum will allow your kids to learn through experience and hands-on engagement. The exhibits focus on science, culture, environmental awareness, health & fitness, and the arts. My younger kids enjoyed the activities in the construction zone and Arthur & Friends while my oldest kids the highlights preferred the 3-story climbing sculpture as well as the Kid Power area where you learn how it is important to stay active. However, all four of them enjoyed the Science Playground when you can... [Read more...]
What’s to Love about Texas Food
April 15, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 3 Comments
Texans take their food as seriously as they do their football. Black's Barbecue is Texas' oldest and best major barbecue restaurant continuously owned and operated by the same family. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved If you slander their vittles, they’re apt to defend their deep-fried passion as though you personally launched another attack on the Alamo. Necessity has frequently mothered our creations, and early Texans had to make do with meager supplies, which is how they wound up with frugal favorites like chicken-fried steak and fried pies. Such resourcefulness produced foods that bring us endless gratification today. Many Winter Texans and other visitors to the Lone Star State have the good sense to agree with them—that Texan food is that of the gods. Little Known & Great Places to Eat Sure, there are thousands of great places to eat scattered throughout cities and towns all across Texas, and a Main Street Cafe on just about every corner of every berg from Wink to... [Read more...]
Cook Some Naan On Those Cast-Iron Skillets!
April 5, 2012 by Melissa A. Trainer · 4 Comments
A couple years ago, we took a family camping trip to Yellowstone National Park. While camping in the Madison Campground, we decided to do most of our cooking over the campfire. We didn’t have any hookups for our camper, so my little galley kitchen wasn’t working at full capacity. This didn’t bother me, because it was quite warm and sunny while we were there. Naturally, I wanted to be outside with everyone else. In order to crank out family-friendly meals after touring through the park each day, we relied on the campsite picnic table, the fire ring, and our wonderful cast-iron skillets. The picnic table was dressed with a basic plastic tablecloth and acted as a makeshift kitchen counter for slicing and prepping vegetables. The skillets were priceless for cranking out dinner. The pans are tough and can handle the heat of the open flame! During our stay at Madison, I decided to live on the edge by serving campfire-cooked naan. (Naan is an authentic Indian flatbread.)... [Read more...]
Natural Stone Architecture: Natural Bridges National Monument
April 3, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 1 Comment
Natural Bridges National Monument covers a relatively small area in southeastern Utah. It is rather remote and not close to other parks, and as a result is not heavily visited. A trail into the canyon underneath Owachomu Natural Bridge is a short distance from the overlook. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved Since natural bridges are formed by running water, they are much rarer than arches, which result from a variety of other erosion forces. Natural bridges tend to be found within canyons, sometimes quite hidden, whereas arches are usually high and exposed, as they are often the last remnants of rock cliffs and ridges. Unlike Arches National Park, with over 2,000 classified arches, there are only three bridges here. The area also has some scattered Indian cliff dwellings, pictographs, and scenic white sandstone canyons. The pinyon and juniper covered mesa is bisected by deep canyons, exposing the Permian Age Cedar Mesa Sandstone. Where meandering streams cut through sandstone walls, three... [Read more...]
Consider Vancouver Island!
March 31, 2012 by Melissa A. Trainer · 3 Comments
One of my favorite summer destinations in the Pacific Northwest is Vancouver Island. We first visited this large island about fourteen years ago when our daughter was very little. We were new to the region, and I was spending a fair amount of time doing research and talking to tourism representatives in British Columbia. Back then, everyone told me that Vancouver was great, but many of my contacts gave me a wink and a nod and urged me to visit Vancouver Island, too. They urged me to go in the summer and bring the kids. Those tips were true insider information. I am so glad that I listened! When we first visited Vancouver Island, I picked Parksville as our destination. The guidebooks touted the large safe sandy beaches and a quiet atmosphere…Hmmm. That sounded perfect for a family with a toddler. Initially, we stayed at a fabulous beachfront resort known as Beach Acres. Located right on the water and next door to Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, this family friendly low... [Read more...]
Steep Cliffs and Towering Spires: Dead Horse Point State Park
March 30, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Dead Horse Point State Park is perhaps Utah’s most spectacular state park. The park lies on the same broad mesa as The Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park. The meandering Colorado River 2,000 feet below Dead Horse Point. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved Dead Horse Point is a peninsula of rock atop sheer sandstone cliffs about 6,000 feet above sea level. Two thousand feet below, the Colorado River winds its way from the continental divide in Colorado to the Gulf of California, a distance of 1,400 miles. The peninsula is connected to the mesa by a narrow strip of land called the neck. From the overlook, canyon erosion may be viewed on a grand scale. This erosion process has taken approximately 150 million years. Much of it is caused by the river slicing down into the earth’s crust as land is forced upward. These powerful forces are still sculpting the fantastic shapes of the precipitous bluffs and towering spires. Vegetation and wildlife in this desert environment... [Read more...]
Woodall’s FEATURED article–Top Travel Destinations for Easter
March 29, 2012 by Woodalls Editorial Staff · 2 Comments
Wondering where to travel this Easter? Let us help by pointing out the best spots for an Easter Parade, Egg Hunt, or to see where Easter treats come from. Hershey, Pennsylvania Where do those chocolate bunnies come from? More than likely, those delicious Easter treats come from the sweetest place in America — Hershey, Pennsylvania! This spring why not bask in chocolately goodness with a complimentary tour of Hershey’s Chocolate World, the source of the all things delectable? The sweet-smelling factory qualifies as the biggest chocolate-making operation on the face of the earth. After the factory tour and a 3-D show, you’ll be on your way with a tasty candy sample in hand. After ruining your appetite, explore the non-stop amusements at Hersheypark, where ten thrilling roller coasters, refreshing water rides, live entertainment, and appetizing food options await you. Date: April 6th-8th 10 am – 9 pm Washington, District Columbia This year, take the kids on an Easter Egg Hunt... [Read more...]
Land of the Sleeping Rainbow: Capitol Reef National Park
March 28, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 3 Comments
Capitol Reef National Park is filled with geological wonders that stagger the imagination. The huge, rounded domes of red Wingate sandstone, capped with pale ivory Navajo sand. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved Somewhat remote, and not as well known as the other parks, Capitol Reef is located on the northern edge of the Grand Circle Tour. Capitol Reef encompasses a 100-mile natural upheaval in the earth’s crust known as the Waterpocket Fold. We’ve traveled Utah’s red-rock country from Bryce to Arches and Zion to Monument Valley, but none is more impressive than Capitol Reef. Hundreds of millions of years of geological history are contained within this long, narrow park that stretches about 100 miles from its northern to southern boundary. Time moves very slowly in the ageless world of colorful spires, pinnacles, and domes that form Capitol Reef. Formed by cataclysmic events of eons past, these rock formations have been defined and redefined over past ages as ancient sea waters... [Read more...]
Silver Dollar City–the Roller-Coasters!
March 28, 2012 by Diane Berry · 3 Comments
As far as my children were concerned, this was the main attraction at Silver Dollar City near Branson, MO; everything else was secondary. The rides, specifically the roller-coasters, were, after all, the main reason we made the decision to visit Silver Dollar City on an Easter break in the first place. They did not let us, or our dare-devil children, down. Our family favorite was BuzzSaw Falls. This was the world’s first liquid rollercoaster, combining a rapid water ride with the thrills of a dry coaster. Buzz Saw Falls twists and turns through the timber, following a cute and catchy story riders read from signs posted along the way, then plummets headfirst down a 9-story plunge. The story helps to distract those of us a bit nervous about that up-coming 9-story drop. When riding, be aware there is a camera posted and pointed at your faces as you drop down those nine stories that provides some hilarious photos once you arrive (drenched) at the bottom. On every visit we have purchased at... [Read more...]
